Some welfare facilities at the Kyung Hee University (KHU) Global Campus are undergoing a new transition. A new meal provider will soon begin operating in the student cafeteria at the 2nd Dormitory, alongside two new cafes in the College of Foreign Languages and the College of Electronics & Information buildings. These changes are expected to improve satisfaction among Global Campus members, addressing past criticism of poor service and prolonged vacancies.

Riaeni La Matinee, the current 2nd Dormitory student cafeteria meal provider

Who’s Serving Next? The 2nd Dormitory Cafeteria to Change Provider

Riaeni La Matinee is a meal provider continuously received criticism for its management. In both 2023 and 2024, the company showed several instances of hygiene issues—foreign substances such as screws, insects, and plastic were found in meals, and expired sauces were used. As a result, the operation of the Students Center cafeteria was transferred from Riaeni La Matinee to the KHU Cooperatives after the company failed to achieve the satisfaction score of 70 points in October last year—the minimum score needed to retain the contract for operating the Student Center cafeteria.

Following the withdrawal from the Students Center, Riaeni La Matinee came close to meeting the termination conditions in its contract with the 2nd Dormitory. According to the agreement between Riaeni La Matinee and the dormitory, the provider must conduct a satisfaction survey each semester. If the provider scores below 60 out of 100 on three separate occasions, the dormitory has the right to terminate the contract. In the most recent survey conducted during the first semester of 2025, Riaeni La Matinee received a score below 60 for the third time, making the dormitory eligible to replace the meal provider.

Given the current situation, stakeholders appear to agree on replacing the cafeteria’s meal provider. The 2nd Dormitory shared their position, stating, “We cannot officially announce the result yet, as the situation is still uncertain. However, we expect that we may change the meal provider. If everything goes smoothly, we might post the notice of tender in July or August.” Alongside the dormitory’s position, Riaeni La Matinee also expressed its intention to terminate cafeteria operations by submitting an official document to the dormitory.

When it comes to the potential new operator, private companies are likely candidates. Several major companies are actively entering the university cafeteria market. There are nationwide companies like CJ Freshway, Samsung Welstory, and Hyundai Green Food, and KHU Global Campus previously contracted with Samsung Welstory and Hanwha Foodist to operate the Student Center and dormitory cafeterias. By contracting with private companies, the University can collect rental fees, which are used to support other student programs.

Another viable option is the KHU Cooperatives. Since this year, they have begun operating at the Global Campus, following President Kim Jin-sang’s initiative to “establish equitable welfare across both the Seoul and Global Campuses.” Despite initial concerns about potential deficits from operating only the Student Center cafeteria, the KHU Cooperatives have reported higher revenue and service satisfaction continuously.

For the KHU Cooperatives, expanding their services on campus is seen as a step toward establishing a stable operational model. The KHU Cooperatives explained, “We cannot stabilize our services by operating only the Student Center cafeteria. On the Seoul Campus, we run various businesses such as cafes, convenience stores, bookstores, and more. This allows us to offset deficits by reallocating profits generated from other successful businesses.”

However, despite the KHU Cooperatives’ positive operational performance and their vision for the future, their participation in the dormitory cafeteria remains uncertain. Regarding the possibility of their involvement, the 2nd Dormitory stated, “We do not know whether they are interested in operating our cafeteria." Since the dormitory is a special-purpose corporation—a separate legal entity from the University that was established for a specific and limited purpose— KHU has limited authority to intervene in the decision. The Global Campus General Affairs Team (GAT) added, “The 2nd Dormitory is a separate entity. We have no legal grounds to be involved in their affairs. The decision is entirely up to them.”

Empty and Underused Spaces: New Cafes May Fill the Gap

The GAT has posted a new tender notice to recruit franchise cafes for the College of Foreign Languages and the College of Electronics & Information buildings. At the College of Foreign Languages, KHU plans to lease Room 121, which was previously operated by Dal.Komm Coffee. The cafes ceased operations in December 2023, and the space has remained vacant since then. Meanwhile, at the College of Electronics & Information, KHU plans to lease Room 108, which is currently being used as a printing room.

As with the cafeteria, if KHU finalizes a contract with a private cafe company, the University will receive rental income. According to the GAT's proposal, the selected operator must pay a rental deposit of 40 million won and a monthly rental fee of 3 million won over a five-year contract period. As GAT stated that “revenue from rental fees is used to support student programs such as overseas training programs,” the new contract shows a possibility of further reinvestment in university-sponsored initiatives.

The KHU Cooperatives can be a candidate for the new operator. The KHU Cooperatives is operating three cafes at Seoul Campus, suggesting their capability to run such a service. Based on the successful operation of the Global Campus Student Center cafe, the KHU Cooperatives is able to be considered the new operator for the cafes.

However, the University's preference appears to lean toward private companies. The GAT’s tender announcement states that “individuals or corporate franchise businesses with over 800 stores nationwide” are eligible to participate—indicating that only large-scale franchise cafes will be considered. Moreover, although KHU has the option to pursue a sole-source contract, the announcement specifies a limited competitive bidding process. This suggests that the KHU Cooperatives were not considered a primary option.

Room 108 of the College of Electronics & Information building, now using for printing room

 

Room 121 of the College of Foreign Languages, which previously housed Dal.Komm Coffee, currently remains vacant.

 

The Global Campus is set to introduce new operators for its welfare facilities, including the cafeteria and campus cafes, but the choice remains uncertain between various private companies and the KHU Cooperatives. This development is worth watching, as each decision could have a different impact on campus life.